Country Analysis Brief Overview

The United Arab Emirates is one of the 10 largest oil and natural gas producers in the world, and is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

The United Arab Emirates is a major oil producer and exporter. In 2012, the country produced an average of 2.8 million barrels of crude oil per day, the eighth highest total in the world.

The United Arab Emirates appears unlikely to meet a 3-million-barrel-per-day crude oil production target by the end of 2013. Further, the country may push back a longer-term 3.5 million barrel per day target until the end of the decade.

The United Arab Emirates has one of the highest rates of per capita petroleum consumption in the world.

The United Arab Emirates plans to boost domestic natural gas production over the next several years to help meet growing internal demand. Much of the growth could come from the country's large sour (high sulfur) gas deposits.

Already a top-20 global natural gas producer, the UAE has several ongoing projects that could boost the country's natural gas production significantly over the next several years.

The United Arab Emirates was the first country in the Middle East to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), and has exported more than 250 billion cubic feet of LNG annually, almost exclusively to Asia.

The UAE is adding nuclear, renewable, and coal-fired electricity generating capacity, but currently relies primarily on natural gas.